1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to traps and more particularly for trap primers for maintaining the water level in a trap to insure a proper seal therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of inputs and configurations have been devised in the prior art for overcoming various problems encountered in the water trap art. U.S. Pat. No. 332,911 shows an overflow trap for a washbasin, bathtub and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 796,846 shows an S-shaped water closet trap having an auxiliary siphon tube connecting the plural traps. U.S. Pat. No. 3,526,547 illustrates a method and apparatus for cleaning a drain trap having an auxiliary input to the drain trap. U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,575 discusses a vented drain for recreational vehicles and the like. The aforementioned patents have solved many of the problems and have made substantial improvements in the water trap art.
One particular area of concern is a trap primer for a floor drain disposed in proximity to a second water trap such as a sink or the like. In most commercial lavatories a central floor drain is required by State Code to have a trap primer to maintain the water level within the floor drain trap. Since the floor drain is subject to evaporation, the water level within the floor drain trap must be maintained in order to insure a proper seal in the floor drain trap. To meet the requirements of State Codes, a water line is generally connected to the floor drain trap to maintain the water level therein. Unfortunately, these prior art trap primers utilized clean water, thereby producing a serious energy and ecological waste. In addition, the floor drain primers available to the prior art incorporated a movable check valve within a housing for providing a limited flow of clean water to the trap during use of a nearby sink. Accordingly, each time the sink is used in a commercial lavatory, a small portion of the incoming water is directed by a trap primer to the floor drain trap. The trap primer valves of the prior art are generally expensive and are subject to malfunction.
Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the trap primer art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a primer for a first water trap located below a drain wherein waste water from the drain is directed to the first water trap for maintaining the water level therein.
Another object of this invention is to provide a primer for a first water trap located below a drain which utilizes waste water as a primer for the first water trap thereby providing an energy and ecological savings of water.
Another object of this invention is to provide a primer for a first water trap located below a drain which is adaptable to traps already constructed and adaptable to fixtures presently under construction.
Another object of this invention is to provide a primer for a first water trap located below a drain which meets State Code Standards while reducing the cost of materials and labor for installation.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.